Tennessee Girl’s Misdiagnosis Leads to Leukemia Fatality

A 10-year-old girl from Memphis, Tennessee was misdiagnosed with strep throat and suffered a fatalityfrom leukemia days later. After two days of complaints of severe stomach pain and discomfort, the girl’s mother brought her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with strep throat and administered an antibiotic shot. Within 24 hours of the girl’s misdiagnosis, she landed back in the hospital and was informed that she actually had leukemia. She underwent brain surgery for brain swelling and began chemotherapy. Unfortunately, despite showing signs of improvement, she succumbed to her illness.

A cancer misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosing a serious illness may be the difference between saving a life and losing one. When a misdiagnosis occurs, the individual could develop serious complications or additional ailments that interfere with the patient’s ability to recover. Also, patients could receive unnecessary treatments that could further disrupt their health.